Cloth expander roll



Feb. 18, 1947. H, W, BRCH 2,415,864

CLOTH EXPANDER ROLL Filed Aug 20, 1945 5 l fzavemiur Haw/old W, Bivch )fim JMYTJWM Patented Feb. 18,. 1947 STATES PTENT OFFIC CLOTH EXPANDER ROLL Harold W. Birch, Belmont, Mass.

Application August 20, 1945, Serial No. 611,609

2 Claims. 1

This invention relates to a curved cloth expanding roll such as is used in a well known type of cloth expanding machine.

Such expander rolls are usually made with a curved central supporting rod which is stationarily anchored at each end in the machine and on which are mounted a plurality of roll sections capable of freely turning on the rod, said roll sections being enclosed in an outer covering of rubber or some other yielding material.

The object of the present invention is to provide an expander roll having an improved roll section and also to provide a novel means for anchoring the roll covering to the roll sections.

In order to give an understanding of the invention I have illustrated in the drawing a selected embodiment thereof which will now be described after which the novel features will be pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary longitudinal section through an expander roll embodying my invention;

Fig. 2 is a section on the line 2-2 Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a section on the line 3-3 Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a view of the expander roll.

The expander roll embodying my invention, which is indicated generally at I, comprises the usual curved. supporting rod 2 which is anchored at its ends in the cloth expanding machine as indicated at 3.

The curved supporting rod 2 has mounted thereon a plurality of roll sections 4 of novel construction and the roll sections are enclosed or coveredwith an outer covering 5 of rubber or some other suitable yielding material.

Each roll section 4 comprises a body member 6 in the form of a sleeve having an unbroken cylindrical exterior face, and also having within it a bearing sleeve 1 that fits and is capable of rotating freely about the supporting rod 2. Each bearing sleeve 1 preferably has a less axial dimension than the body member 6 so that the ends 8 of the body member overhang the ends of the bearing sleeve 7.

The adjacent roll sections 4 are spaced slightly from each other as indicated at 9.

As stated above, an envelope or roll covering 5 encircles and encloses the various roll sections 2 4, said roll covering being made of rubber or some other suitable yielding material.

Such roll covering is anchored to the unbroken cylindrical face of each roll section 4 throughout the entire area of a circumferential zone situated midway of the length of the roll section. One convenient Way of thus anchoring the covering member to each roll section is by vulcanizing it thereto throughout the entire area of said central circumferential zone as indicated at I9. The Width of this attaching zone I 6 is preferably only a fraction of the total length of the corresponding roll section so that the covering 5 is unattached to the exterior of each roll section at the end portions thereof.

In order that the roll covering and the roll sections may revolve freely on the supporting bar 2 as the cloth is passed over said bar it is important that the material of the covering 5 should not be allowedto work in between the ends of the roll sections 4 and come into contact with the stationary supporting bar 2. Accordingly I may if desired employ a plurality of sleeves ll each sleeve encircling the adjacent ends of two adjacent roll sections 1 and thus acting as a barrier against any of the material of the covering 5 workin into the space 9 between the roll sections. These sleeves H may have an interior diameter sufiiciently larger than the exterior diameter of the body portion 6 of each roll section so that during the rotation of the roll sections about the bar 2 there will be no binding of the sleeves against the roll sections due to the curvature of the supporting bar.

With this invention each roll section has a, central bearing on the bar 2 which bearing is of considerably less length than the roll section. This construction permits the roll sections to rotate freely on the supporting bar 2 notwith standing its curved shape.

I claim:

1. A cloth expander roll comprising a curved supporting rod, a plurality of spaced roll sections mounted on said rod for free turning movement thereabout, a sleeve encircling and overlapping the adjacent ends of each pair of adjacent roll sections, and a roll covering of yielding material enclosing said roll sections and sleeves, said covering being attached to each roll section in a circumferential zone situated centrally thereof.

3 4 2. A cloth expander roll comprising a. curved REFERENCES CITED supporting rod, a. plurality of spaced roll sections mounted on Said rod f free turning movement The followmg references are of record 1n the thereabout, a, sleeve encircling and overlapping file Of this p t the adjacent ends Of each pair Of adl'acent roll 5 UNITED ST P sectlons, and a. roll covermg of vulcanlzable material covering and enclosing said roll sections Number Nafne Date and sleeves, said covering being vulcanized to 1,599,257 voegeh sept- 7, 1926 each roll section in a, circumferential zone situ- FOREIGN PATENTS ated centrally of the length thereof. 10

Number Country Date HARQID W. BIRCH. ,10 British Mar. 30, 1933 15,987 British July 1, 1915 

